Outreach

Always on the leading edge, the Curriculum took a big step this spring when it joined with City University of New York to offer a 20-hour graduate-level certificate course at Queens College. As part of the college’s Professional and Continuing Studies program, the course attracted an enthusiastic group of teachers, librarians, and school counselors who explored the intellectual principles of the Curriculum, learning how the natural affinity between children and pets is the perfect catalyst for building calm, caring, and compassionate students.

This month, members of the Mutt-i-grees team traveled to Newtown, CT to bring Mutt-i-grees programming to students from Sandy Hook schools as part of a fun event hosted by Ben's Lighthouse, a foundation that was started after the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012. The foundation was named in memory of six year old Ben Wheeler and his love of lighthouses and it supports the children of Newtown in a safe, nonviolent environment. Their mission aligns with the social and emotional learning themes we promote in the Mutt-i-grees Curriculum.

For loving and fun, all kids will agree,
There’s nothing as sweet as a sweet Mutt-i-gree!
A canine? A feline? Don’t bother to fuss —
They all need what we need — they’re really like us!

Clearly these lines are not up to Dr. Seuss’s imaginative standards, but chances are the man who wrote “The Cat in the Hat,” and “The Lorax,” would happily applaud the word “Mutt-i-gree,” half whimsy, half serious message, and totally delightful to say.

Each spring, North Shore Animal League America travels across the US on a mission to find homes for as many pets as possible. This year, as we did last year, we are inviting schools, libraries, and museums to join us. We challenge you to help us make Tour For Life the most successful year ever! How? It's as easy as 1-2-3!

This year, the Mutt-i-grees team celebrated Valentine's Day at Grand Concourse Library in the Bronx, NY, where Walter, a sweet Mutt-i-gree, joined us and had a blast helping kids make valentine cards for homeless animals at North Shore Animal League America. Grand Concourse Library is one of many New York Public Library branches implementing Mutt-i-grees programming for children and teens. Everyone had lots of fun creating thoughtful messages of kindness and love.

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Outreach stories

The Mutt-i-grees® Curriculum is an innovative PreK-12 curriculum that developscalm, confident, caring kids and creates a more humane future for all throughsocial and emotional learning. An initiative of North Shore Animal League America’sprogram development branch, The Pet Savers Foundation™, Inc., the Curriculumwas developed by Yale University's School of the 21st Century.